The Shtick Must Survive - Chapter 6 - The Old House 6

This single clue could spawn a thousand tales, alas, they couldn’t afford wild conjectures. Gu Xiyue knew all too well that making up stories prematurely might literally be the death of her.

In the trash, they found a half-burned note: [Aunt Bai, the Young Master is extremely clever, I dare not deceive him, the Madam and…]

The characters mentioned so far include Aunt Bai, Wenwen, Madam, Second Madam, and the Young Master. The relationships among these people remained unclear, and the clues were still sparse, leaving the visitors quite tormented.

Li Ke managed a wry smile: “It’s my first time thinking a bit of NPC presence might actually be nice in the Realm. These escape rooms are brutal.”

Gu Xiyue: “NPCs…?”

Qiao Yuanbin: “Don’t listen to him. Having too many NPCs in the Realm isn’t good either; you can’t tell if they’re human or undead, true or false.”

As time ticked away, no further valuable clues turned up in the room. The group, including Hua Meng, hesitated to venture into other rooms, uncertain of what awaited them.

Li Ke: “We’re not all going to die here, are we?”

Gu Xiyue: “Less negativity, more confidence.”

Li Ke: “I’ve heard about team wipes in the Realm…”

Gu Xiyue: “If they were all wiped out, who told you that?”

Li Ke: “…”

Admitting it, the logic was flawless.

Gu Xiyue’s voice was clear, “My mom always taught me that fear is useless. When faced with problems, you can’t always think the worst. Given the current situation, you can’t spread negative vibes. I’m counting on you veterans to help me survive. I have parents waiting for me to come home; I don’t want to die here.”

Her tone was soft yet petulant, clearly irritated by Li Ke’s sighs of despair.

Li Ke quickly interjected: “I was just complaining a bit.”

Gu Xiyue: “I’m a newcomer and I’m not complaining, so why should you?”

Li Ke: “…”

Right, he thought, recalling his initial disdain for this ‘princess,’ now unable to contradict himself… Li Ke began to reflect.

Perhaps finding it relieving to chat with Gu Xiyue, Qiao Yuanbin also joined the conversation sporadically. She was straightforward, only interacting with those she found worthy. Another newcomer tried to join their chat but was briskly dismissed by Qiao Yuanbin.

Gu Xiyue: “Qiao-Jie¹, how many Realms have you passed through?”

Qiao Yuanbin: “The Old House is the third.”

It was something she was proud of. All the visitors were shuttled through countless Realms by a bus, and having experienced two Realms already, one would know some of the rules.

Gu Xiyue: “Qiao-Jie, when the bus stops, Li-Ge said not getting off means being crushed to a pulp. Is that true?”

Qiao Yuanbin: “He didn’t hide that from you; it’s true. You must get off; dying in the Realm is better than dying on the bus.”

Gu Xiyue surmised that Qiao Yuanbin had witnessed such events, having already survived two Realms. The brutal deaths that occurred just during their time in the Old House had been numerous enough to desensitize her, yet mentioning it still evoked a visceral disgust, indicative of the psychological trauma such events could inflict.

Li Ke, directly dissed by Qiao Yuanbin, simply chuckled, maintaining his good-natured demeanor.

Hua Meng stood up: “Let’s go!”

There were two doors; according to the hidden rules of the Realm, they would eventually have to search both. Which to enter first wasn’t particularly important. However, as Hua Meng stood, few followed, showing no intent to persuade.

Li Ke, always the peacemaker, finally spoke up: “Nowhere in the Realm is safe. Do you think staying here will keep us safe? If we don’t leave the Realm quickly, it means waiting for death.”

Eventually, everyone stood. It seemed safer to stick with Hua Meng, the only visitor capable of confronting the undead directly. Even with the Paper Man’s sharp blades, he had survived.

Those who chose not to follow didn’t concern Hua Meng. For those who did, he had nothing to say.

The design of this Old House had not considered the comfort of its inhabitants, as if the architect hadn’t brought his brain. Entering revealed a bedroom suite complete with a closet and a bathroom, though the bathroom and closet were so cramped they were practically useless compared to the spacious bedroom. It was baffling why the original design didn’t sacrifice a bit of bedroom space; the bathroom was so tight a slightly overweight man would struggle to fit on the toilet.

Gu Xiyue turned on the faucet to wash the blood splattered on her arm and clothes. For someone who valued cleanliness, this was unbearable. As soon as the water hit her arm, it turned to bright red blood. Gu Xiyue looked up into the mirror to see it fogged up, common during showers, and instinctively reached to wipe it away but stopped mid-motion.

…The water was cold; this fog was not normal.

Perhaps realizing Gu Xiyue wasn’t falling for it, the fog slowly dissipated, revealing a woman with a rotting face and long hair, excitedly staring at her, her excitement evident even as her nose flattened against the mirror, as if the mirror’s surfaces were separate spaces divided by a transparent wall.

Finding herself under such intense scrutiny was unsettling.

Gu Xiyue’s forehead veins throbbed as she silently turned the water off again, the woman’s shrill laughter growing louder, signalling her pleasure.

It didn’t seem like the woman could crawl out of the mirror. Even if she could, Gu Xiyue now had basic protection and wasn’t scared.

Expressionless, Gu Xiyue turned the water on again, and also the shower.

Clean water, blood water, clean water, blood water, blood water, blood water… clean water.

After countless switches, the woman’s shrill laughter faded without notice. Her entire upper body squashed against the mirror, her eyes bleeding tears of rage, turning her excitement to venom, fixating on Gu Xiyue.

Eventually, Gu Xiyue managed to clean the blood off herself.

The noise in the bathroom didn’t go unnoticed by Li Ke, who, although mingling among the newcomers, paid special attention to Gu Xiyue as she was the one with three unused Shields.

Li Ke watched in disbelief as Gu Xiyue struggled with the faucet, nearly breaking it, until only clean water flowed.

Gu Xiyue turned with a shy smile: “My dad always says I’ve been stubborn since I was little. The more frightened I get, the bolder I become.”

Another reason was that anyone entering the Realm and encountering extreme events would see their personality change; weaknesses might be magnified, or strengths highlighted.

Contrary to her delicate appearance, she was unexpectedly brave and stubborn.

From his angle, Li Ke couldn’t see the mirror. He was startled by the entity within when he entered. To be honest, since entering the Realm, he had not encountered a non-frightening ghost. This was the first. Mainly because its body was nearly bent at a right angle, exuding an inexplicable sense of helplessness, an experienced Li Ke couldn’t feel afraid.

Li Ke soon realized the key point: “It… can’t come out?”

“Hmm.”

Gu Xiyue began searching through the bathroom cabinet, keeping an eye on the Mirror Woman’s expressions and making no effort to hide this. The Mirror Woman glared at her, trying not to reveal any weaknesses. Gu Xiyue searched slowly, even studying a bar of soap on the table.

If the Mirror Woman were a person, she’d be exhausted by now, her eyes sore from staring. Luckily, she was a ghost and could hold on, but undead are more prone to losing control over their violent natures, meaning they can’t perfectly control themselves. At this moment, she was desperately wanting to kill Gu Xiyue.

When Gu Xiyue’s hand touched the handle of the lowest drawer, the Mirror Woman’s face twitched quickly.

Gu Xiyue released her hand, her voice soft: “If I open this cabinet, you can crawl out, right?”

Mirror Woman: “…”

The Old House was truly a lonely place. Its undead usually just smiled, and even then, quietly, as if they were all mute, hardly daring to speak, as if afraid of disturbing something. Only before death did these undead speak, giving the visitors some crucial information. Their usual lives must be incredibly lonely.

If she could speak now, the Mirror Woman would definitely curse.

Gu Xiyue enjoyed interacting with people, and now, with the undead too, much preferring them over inanimate objects, which she had no way with.

Gu Xiyue guessed that if she touched the mirror, the ghost within could harm her. Usually, the conditions for a ghost attack weren’t so strict, so besides needing to touch the mirror, the Mirror Woman definitely had another way to harm people.

The first Paper Man to kill didn’t just attack anyone; it first targeted Hua Meng, then Li Ke, showing strong selectivity. The likely reason was that both had touched incense ash, the only thing they did that others hadn’t. It was quite a trap, luring visitors to find the key to unlock doors while setting numerous traps within.

Ignoring the Mirror Woman’s silent curses, Gu Xiyue returned to the bedroom. The bedsheet had been turned over, revealing large patches of congealed blood, evidence of a gruesome event that had occurred here. They spent a lot of time searching for clues but found none. As Hua Meng urged everyone to search again, someone objected.

“Why don’t we check upstairs?”

“I think the exit is on the third floor.”

This time, it was the veteran leading the suggestion. Gu Xiyue remembered him as Min Sanxu, a tall man wearing glasses who had tried several times to discuss further actions with Hua Meng, but his ideas were always directly rejected. Due to less initiative than Hua Meng, and because there had been little disagreement on the path forward so far, he had reluctantly followed.

But now, the disagreement was significant. Almost everyone thought the exit was upstairs, and searching the second floor seemed redundant. Any location in the Realm could be dangerous, and they clearly preferred to face the dangers of the third floor.

Hua Meng: “If you want to go, go. No one’s stopping you. What, you want to convince me to die with you? Get lost.”

Min Sanxu was visibly furious, eventually leading away a veteran and a newcomer.

The female newcomer who had used up all three Shields didn’t follow, declaring her loyalty to Qiao Yuanbin: “Qiao-Jie, I’m staying with you. I’m not going.”

Qiao Yuanbin: “Suit yourself.”

= …… =

[Gu Xiyue’s Live Stream]

【Not kidding, folks, I’m planning to compile a ghost fail compilation】

【Hahaha, this Mirror Woman truly plays the clown in the ghost world】

【I’m speechless, ah, what a slick move, hahaha】

【Newbie here, asking for spoilers from the veterans, is the exit really on the third floor?】

Mr. Gold was summoned once again.

【It’s highly likely】

But The Strongest Plant – Big Mouth Flower noticed something else; despite the unending terror, the visitors’ spirits remained relatively stable, not trending towards a frenzied state often seen in the later stages, where human cruelty is blatantly displayed.

Outsiders could see, the host played a significant role, continually lightening the mood during tense moments, making one wonder if the host’s Talent Ability might actually be Affinity!

Footnote:

1. Jie(姐):In Chinese culture, using “xx姐” (pronounced as “xx jie”) to address someone is quite common, especially in Mainland China and other Chinese-speaking communities. The term “jie” means “older sister” and, when used in this context, typically carries a sense of affection and friendliness. It indicates respect and amiability towards the person, similar to calling someone “sis” or “big sister” in English.